Forgetfulness? Moodswings? Concentration problems? Often it starts small, but being exhausted can have a large influence on your life after a while. Exhaustion is often expressed by a combination of several symptoms. These symptoms can be both physical and mental. Just like symptoms of being exhausted can differ a lot, the causes and consequences of exhaustion can also be very different from each other. Thus, just because two persons are exhausted, it does not mean that they experience the same symptoms and that their exhaustion will have the same consequences for both of them.
Exhausted? What are the symptoms of being exhausted?
First of all, there are different physical symptoms of being exhausted. In many cases the symptoms start out small and are difficult to notice. For example, you might notice that your neck is a little tense. It is often so that people who are exhausted suffer from muscle aches. Physical symptoms of exhaustion thus include the following:
- Muscle tension
- Sweating
- Increased heartrate
There are also different psychological or mental symptoms of being exhausted. For example, you forget your keys, you forget to buy groceries,... These are just small things, but they can indicate you're exhausted. You have too much going on inside your head, meaning that some other functions no longer get the energy they need and thus linked tasks are executed less efficiently. Other examples of symptoms of exhaustion include the following:
- Concentration problems
- Memory problems
- Moodswings
- Agitation
Exhausted? How do I treat exhaustion?
If you feel exhausted during a short time, it might be that the symptoms disappear on their own when you find some rest after a stressful time. However, if this stress remains for a long time, you will get more and more exhausted. The symptoms will have a larger reach and a more intense influence on your life. At that time it is useful to look for professional help in order to break through the vicious cycle of being exhausted. 15 Minutes 4 Me is an online self-help program, developed by doctors and psychologists, which guides you on a daily basis in order to deal with your symptoms of exhaustion. It also helps you to reduce your psychological vulnerability and to recognize symptoms of being exhaustion in the future! Would you like to know to what extent you are exhausted and what possible consequences of exhaustion affect your daily functioning? Then take the free exhaustion test here!